Marlborough Police, Fire Officials Probe Hillside Barn Fire

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough police, the state Fire Marshal and local fire officials are investigating a fire that destroyed a barn at the Hillside School property on Tuesday morning, although investigators do not think the blaze was suspicious.

The fire broke out just before 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, and firefighters arrived to find heavy flames visible through the roof of a barn located at 392 Robin Hill Road. A neighbor was able to call 911 and alert the farm caretaker about the fire, Marlborough Assistant Chief Jeffrey Gogan said Wednesday.

The caretaker was able to move livestock living in the barn before the fire spread. No one was injured during the fire.

The fire eventually grew to two alarms, and firefighters from Northborough helped put out the flames. Firefighters from Sudbury and Hudson came to Marlborough to assist with coverage.

On Wednesday morning, the barn had been demolished and fenced off. Gogan estimated the damage to be about $500,000.

The Hillside School, a boarding school for boys in grades 4 to 9, was not in session on Tuesday due to the nor'easter. The farm dates back to the school's founding in 1901, and students today learn skills like carpentry, animal husbandry and gardening at the facility. School officials did not respond to a request for comment about the fire.